Michael Schwartz Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

1-16-00
Dr. Drew and Dr. Schwartz are both part of the same practice. I choose Dr. Schwartz just for the fact that he had a quicker date to get the surgery done than Dr. Drew. My understanding is that both Dr's are able to do the surgery Lap and Open. 70% of the surgeries are done Lap but if complications or because of size the Open has to be done.

The 2 hour informational meeting went very well yesterday. It helped to answer several questions I had. Judy Schwartz RN is the one who speaks at the meeting, she is Dr. Schwartz's wife. She was very informative and seemed to want to help with things as best as she could. This meeting is a must before you can even meet the surgeon. Once I attended the meeting the insurance info is sent off.

The office worked with me to be able to schedule ASAP because we will be taking out COBRA and it is very expensive. So the sooner we can get the surgery the sooner I can get rid of COBRA. She was very sweet and understanding.

I am meeting with the surgeon for my consult on 2/22/00 ( my b-day). She also explained that everyone has to have a gall bladder x-ray before surgery. With this surgery there is a chance to develop gall stones..if in the x-ray it shows you already have gall stones they will remove the gall stones while having the gastric bypass. If you have a healthy gall bladder and want it removed so that you will not develop gall stones (30% chance that you will) you would have to pay out of pocket as insurance will not pay for removing healthy organs approx cost $900.

I will update again after I meet with my Dr.

2/24/01
Met Dr. Michael Schwartz on 2-22-01, he is a very caring and indepth man. He will make sure everything is in place before he operates on you. I feel confident in is hands.

I have not met with him yet, but his nusre and staff are helpful they took care of everything with the insurance.

I chose Dr. Schwartz because his group is doing the laproscopic procedure. The huge scar seemed intimidating and I was very interested in not having to deal with that. The staff is great--they are obviously very busy, so if you need lots of handholding and attention, you may be disappointed. There is a required 2 hour info. session that is very helpful--they cover all the risks and benefits. One thing they do emphasize is that you do need to do all the things you were supposed to be doing before--eating well, exercising, drinking water, in order to gain the most benefit from the surgery. They also work with you in helping you get together the letters, forms, documentation, etc. to send to the insurance company. There isn't much aftercare, other than a visit with a dietician and periodic office checkups. I'm a pretty "low-maintenance" person in terms of needs, so I didn't mind that I didn't see the doc much at the hospital.

sept. 7 2000
I have not met my surgeon yet but.. His nurse Judy is so very sweet, she has worked with me in everyway that she could to get me in for a consultation my date is sept. 14 I am so excited. I will let you all know how it goes

Nov. 19 2000, my surgeon was dr. schwartz.. he is the most talented awesome man on this earth, he is very kind, sweet, caring and compationate, and his skill at doing this surgery is just awesome.. I felt very confident in his hands, what a lucky woman his wife is!! he has changed my life forever!the office staff was great, very caring. i have to go back in 1 month for a check up, cant wait to see him! He totally kept me on enough pain meds that i basically felt hardly nothing, everytime i asked for pain meds they were right there.. on a scale from 1-10 he is a 15.. thank you dr. schwartz.

I have only met Dr. Schwartz once so far. I thought he was very nice and that he genuinely understood my situation and didn't make me feel bad about being overweight.

I think that the office staff is wonderful! They try their best to answer any questions you have and seem to be very personable. I especially like the nurse, Judy Schwartz (she is Dr. Schwartz's wife). She is very professional, but also has a good sense of humor.

I guess the one thing I would let others know about Dr. Schwartz is that he is a very busy man and from what I've been told, he can sometimes come across as being a bit abrupt, but that it's only when he's running behind schedule. I was told that he's absolutely wonderful before and after surgery.

Dr. Schwartz makes a point of letting you know just how important it is that you follow the aftercare program precisely. He says that if you have any reservations of not being able to follow one or more of the requirements, you shouldn't have the surgery. He also wants to make sure that you understand not only the physical changes that will occur, but also the emotional ones. If you have any history of mental illness you have to make sure that your psychiatrist/psychologist thinks it's all right for you to have this surgery. You actually have to have a written recommendation from him/her in order to be considered for the surgery.

There is a structured aftercare program. It involves meeting with a nurse and dietician while in the hospital, visiting the surgeon's office 3 weeks after the surgery, every 3 months after that for a year, every 6 months for a year, and then once a year after that. They give you diet and exercise guidelines to follow and also let you know what to do to make your recovery a smooth one.

Dr. Schwartz does let you know about the risks of surgery during your consult. You actually learn a lot about these risks and about the procedure itself from a 2 hour class you take prior to sending in paperwork for approval of the surgery. They want to make sure you understand all of the risks before you start the approval process so you know if this is the right choice for you.

I would highly recommend Dr. Schwartz to anyone who is seriously considering gastric bypass surgery. I like the fact that he is skilled in both the "open" and "laproscopic" versions of this procedure.

I guess I would say that surgical competence would have to outweigh good bedside manner. But, it would be nice to have both in a surgeon. From what I understand, Dr. Schwartz is both. So, I'm in good hands.

Dr. Michael Schwartz, of General and Vascular Surgery. Had a great informational meeting run by his wife, Judy. His office staff are very discrete and completed the insurance work, and scheduling of other related appointments effortlessly. Dr. Schwartz invited me to join the support groups before the surgery, to help my nervousness. I left my first meeting with him feeling much less scared of the process. The surgery will be done at Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis.

I had my consult with Dr.Schwartz and liked
him very much.He made me feel comfortable
and not like he was in a hurry to get going.
Made sure I asked him any questions I might
have had.Really explained everything.I feel
comfortable with him as my surgeon.

Dr. Schwartz is a very nice patient man. He wants to answer any questions you may have about anything in relation to this surgery.
I really apreceiated this about him. I felt he did a very good job. I would recommend him to anyone considering this.
I did not really care for the attitude of the assistant. I felt she was very hurried and not very patient. At the informational meeting she was very abrupt and curt if anyone asked questions.
Luckily, one of Dr. Schwartz's patients has started a support group for post-op patients.

I just met with Dr. Schwartz. He was very friendly, had a good sense of humor. He explained the procedure and told me about the risks. Asked if I had any questions and did not rush things at all. He told me this is major surgery and not to take it lightly, but he said you will be so happy and have so much energy. He was straight forward which I appreciated. I asked him if I could get an earlier date since my back was really bad and I had a lot of pain in my foot. He said sure, and when he was done with our meeting he went right to the nurse (his wife) and said she would like an earlier date, see what you can find. I know they are usually booked solid, but I got in 13 days earlier. that was really nice. I felt like he understood what I was telling him and cared about how I felt. I have never had a doctor just give you the time to sit and talk. Usually everything is such a rush. I felt very comfortable with him and I am really looking forward to the surgery. I had a real positive feeling after our meeting.

He seemed very friendly but to the point in all my visits. I would not necessarily recomend him to others. Not that my surgery wasn't well done but the fact that he is not a very personable Doctor. They staff are slow to get you replys to your questions and don't provide good post-op info or help. When my emotions were in a whirl wind and I was dealing with pain after the surgery, he was very impatient with me and made me feel like a baby. The staff were very good with pre-op information, but not good with post-care.He was a good sergon but he had little bedside manner and I think that is also very important when you put your life into someone's hands. I left the hospital not wanting to ever see him or his staff again. The hospital was understaffed, though the nurses were as helpful as possible. The hospital also was not very prepared for someone the size I was. Aid's were not well trained on how to get an obese person out of bed for walks and they were not prepared with equipment like gowns or wheelchairs.